Rotary lithographic-printing machine.



R. P. & J. W. PAYNE. ROTARY LITHOGRAPHIG PRINTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED HAB.29, 1913.

Patented Aug. 25, 1914.

2 SHEETSSHEET 1.

R. P. & J. W. PAYNE.

ROTARY LITHOGRAPHIG PRINTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.29, 1913.

' Patented Aug. 25, 1914.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

RAYMOND PERCIVAL PAYNE AND JOHN WILLIAM PAYNE, LEEDS, ENGLAND.

ROTARY LITHOGRAPHIC-PRINTING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented. Aug. 25, 1914.

Application filed March 29, 1913. Serial No. 757,569.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, RAYMOND PERCIVAL PAYNE and JOHN WILLIAM PAYNE, bothsubjects of the King of Great Britain, residing at Leeds, in the countyof York, England, engineers, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Rotary Lithographic-Printing Machines, and of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention has reference to rotary lithographic offset printingmachines such as are employed for printing upon paper, card or the likeeither in the form of sheets or from a continuous roll, or upon sheetsof metal or like hard substance which can be bent around a cylinder.Hitherto, the impression cylinder in these known machines has been of adiameter equal to or a submultiple of that of the transfer andplanographic cylinders; but in employing a machine having its cylindersso arranged, it has only been possible to print one sheet in one colorper each revolution of the impression cylinder-or one sheet per everytwo revolutions of the impression cylinder when printing in two colors.

Now the object of this resent invention is to construct a rotarylithographic offset printing machine in such a manner as to render thesame capable of printing two or more sheets in one, 'two or more colorssimultaneously per each revolution of the impression cylinder.

According to our invention, the machine 1S provided with an impressioncyllnder of a diameter whichis a multiple of that of either. thetransfer or planographic cylinders or both and having on its peripherytwo or more impression surfaces, each of which latter, in the case Wherethe material to be printed is in sheet form, is fitted with a completeset of gripping and releasing machanism with grippers to hold the sheetupon the said impression cylinder. The proportional increase in diametergiven to the impression cylinder over that of the transfer andplanographic cylinders enables one, two' or more of said transfer andplanographic cylinders to be grouped around its periphery whereby themachine is rendered capable of printing two or morevsheets in one, twoor more colors simultaneously per each revolu- Such a machine, bybringing into use any i or all of the printing surfaces and by suitablead-justments'of the gripping and releasing mechanisms, can be arrangedto print in one, two or more colors upon either side or both sides ofthe material according to the immediate requirements of the machineoperator.

In the accompanying drawings the two figures, which are shown by way ofexample, are diagrammatic sections through the cylinders of printingmachines constructed according to the invention.

Figure 1 represents a machine adapted for printing in one or two colorsupon one or both sides of the material. a and a are planographiccylinders carrying the respective designs on printing plates ,0 of zinc,aluminium or like material secure y fastened to the respectiveplanographic cylinders a and a by adjustable clamps 2', eachplanographic cylinder being provided with a complete set of damping andinking mechanism 12. and 0 respectively for damping and inking theprinting plates p in the known lithographic manner; and the saidplanographlc cylinders may be ada ted for both lateral andcircumferential a justment for obtaining register with each other. 6 andb are intermediate transfer cylinders covered with rubber or likematerial of a suitable nature to receive inked impressions from theprinting plates 70 on the respective lanogra hic,

cylinders a and a at each revo ution o the said planographic andtransfer cylinders, when the latter are in printing position.

The transfer cylinders 79 and 6 having been put into printing positionby eccentrics g operating in known manner, receive as they rotate inkedimpressions from the printingplates p with which they are associated andsubsequently transfer the said inked impressions to the material to beprinted, which is carried on and by an impression cylinder G. Thiscylinder 0 is provided with two or more impression surfaces 25 (in thedrawing two only are shown) covered with rubber or like material eachprinting surface 2? being provided with a complete set of grippingmechanism h, g, f; while 6 is the feed board on which is supported thematerial to be printed in sheet form.

The impression cylinder G is common to both the transfer cylinders 72and b and is twice the diameter of the transfer and planographiccylinders; while the grippers f on the shafts g are operated by thegrooved slides h secured on the ends of the said shafts g which, as theimpression cylinder C rotates, engage fixed pins j and 70 to close andopen the grippers f.

When printing in one or two colors upon one side of the material, thesheets to be printed are fed down the feed board e, being automaticallygripped by the grippers f and carried around by the impression cylinderC as it rotates until printing contact is made between the sheet to beprinted and the transfer cylinders b and 5 After the sheet has madeprinting contact with the transfer cylinder 5 the grippers f are openedby pin 70 engaging the grooved slide it, thereby releasing the printedsheet and allowing it to pass to the delivery 7'.

When printing upon both sides of the material in the positive hand, theimpression cylinder 0 becomes both an impression and transfer cylinder,and as it rotates is allowed to make alternate revolutions withoutsheets being taken from the feed board e. During the first revolution ofthe impression cylinder C the transfer cylinder 6 only is put by itseccentric g into printing position, subsequently making printing contactwith the rubber-covered printing surfaces 6 on the impression cylinderC. Transfer cylinder 5 is then automatically tripped by its eccentric g,and at each succeeding alternate revolution of the impression cylinder 0sheets are taken by the grippers f and carried around by the impressioncylinder 0 (transfer cylinder b having been put meanwhile by itseccentric 9 into printing position), the sheet being conveyed around andprinted simultaneously upon both sides by coming into a double printingcontact with the inked impressions on the transfer cylinder 5 on theouter side and with the inked impressions on the rubber-covered printingsurfaces 25 of the impression cylinder C on the inner side. After thesheet has made printing' contact with the transfer cylinder 5 thegripper f are opened by the pin 70 engaging the grooved slide it,thereby releasing the printed sheet and allowing it to pass to thedelivery 1*.

Either of the transfer cylinders b and b may be caused to remain out ofprinting position when it is desired to print in one color only; whilein all cases where the sheet is printed in the positive hand on theinner side through the rubber-covered printing surfaces 25, the designson the printing plates p to which they refer are in the negative hand.

Fig. 2 represents a machine fed from a reel u for printing in one, twoor three colors; all the cylinders having continuous printing surfaceswith the exception of narrow apertures w through which pass the printingplates 39 and rubber blankets to be secured in the respective cylinders.The cylinders in this example revolve in the op posite direction tothose shown in Fig. 1, the damping mechanism n being altered to suit theopposite rotation of the cylinders.

When operating the machine, the transfer cylinders 6 b 6 are thrown outof printing position by the eccentrics g and the lanographic cylinders aa a carrying their respective printing plates 39 are then allowed torotate until the said plates are fully damped and inked by the dampingand inking mechanisms n and 0. The machine is then slowed down and thematerial to be printed in web form is conveyed by hand from the reelu'around jockey rollers w and threaded between the transfer cylinders 6b 6 and impression cylinder G into the cutting and drawing cylinders o.The transfer cylinders 6 V, b are now put by the eccentrics q intoprinting position, and the machine subsequently set running at fullspeed; the web after receiving inked impressions as it comes intoprinting contact with the transfer cylinders passes between the rotatingcutting cylinders 11 where it is severed into sheet form, subsequentlypassing to the delivery 8.

Multicolor printing on both sides of the .web is effected, in saidreel-fed machine, Fig.

2, by employing additional planographic cylinders a a (with theirrequisite damping and inking mechanisms n 0) having printing contactwith the rubber-covered surfaces on the impression cylinder C at a pointprior to where the web enters the machine from the reel M. In thearrangement shown the web enters and leaves the machine as when printingon one side of the web only, as above described.

What we claim as our invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent isA rotary lithographic ofiset printing machine for the production ofmulti-color printing continuously and simultaneously upon one side orboth sides of the material to-be printed upon,-comprising in combina- Inwitness whereof We have hereunto set tion a plurality of planographicand transour hands in the presence of two Witnesses. fer cylindersarranged around a common lmpression cylinder having a plurality ofRAYMOND PEROIVAL PAYNE. 5 rubber-covered printing surfaces capable ofJOHN WILLIAM PAYNE.

receiving inked impressions from any of the contactingcylinders, saidimpression cyl- Witnesses: inder being of a diameter divisible equallyJOHN Jownrr, by the diameter of both the planographic VANCE EWARTGALLOWAY.

10 and the transfer cylinders.

